These limits must have flexibility. Flexibility would help affect the control that we desire. For instance. in past versions of the immigration reform bill. a provision has been included to double the number of legal immigrants from Mexico. I have supported this provision and believe not only that it would have been fair but that it would have facilitated control of the border. I do not believe it is the responsibility of Americas business community to enforce our immigration laws. I have repeatedly supported and introduced measures to strengthen our border enforcement efforts. I am pleased that the bill before us does increase our efforts and abilities in this regard. But I am not pleased that primary enforcement responsibility under this bill is given to business. While I am concerned about the impact civil penalties for knowingly hiring illegal aliens would have on business. I am even more concerned that the conferees have chosen to implement a system of employer sanctions which includes criminal penalties. It is bad enough to ask our business community to enforce our immigration laws. a job we acknowledge we have been unable to do. without putting an employer in jail for matching our lack of success. I believe that civil penalties for hiring illegal aliens is sufficient. American business follows the law. If we make it illegal to hire an illegal alien. employers will simply not hire illegal aliens. The civil sanctions will result in a sharp reduction in illegal immigration on their own. The fact that the employment of illegal aliens is severely reduced will result in a raising of both wages and working conditions in jobs for which legal residents and illegal aliens compete. I am also concerned that the criminal penalties that could be imposed under the employer sanctions will excerbate discrimination against legal residents of the United States. I have long worried that imposing any sanctions on employers might result in increased discrimination against individuals with foreignsounding names or who retain foreign accents.
Keywords matched
illegal alien immigration immigrants illegal aliens illegal immigration border enforcement